US President George W. Bush's valedictory tour of Asia, built around the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games, turned attention to the legacy he will leave in this fluid and dynamic region. While much interest focused on his repeated call for China to improve its human rights record, his most lasting impact could lie elsewhere - in Myanmar.
In these dark times, it is important to remember that Mr Bush still retains pockets of fervent support out there in the world. In Thailand at the end of last week, he brushed about as close as he could get to one of them. The president marked 175 years of Thai-US relations by lunching with nine exiled Myanmese activists in Bangkok. First Lady Laura Bush flew to Mae Sot on the Thai-Myanmar border to visit refugees from the country's ongoing civil war.
Mr Bush is big in Myanmar. Unstinting support for detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is part of the reason. Yet more significant, however, is his controversial foreign policy. In Myanmar, the 2003 Iraq invasion is viewed today exactly as it was once told by the White House. For most Myanmese, this was and always will be a heroic intervention to release an oppressed people from entrenched dictatorship.
Indeed, if there is any disappointment with Mr Bush in Myanmar, it is that he never found a way to send troops into the country. Despite this, both the president and the first lady remain leading advocates for Myanmar. The freedom and democracy institute Mr Bush is committed to creating after he leaves office will be an ideal platform for ongoing engagement.
With Myanmar as a signature theme, the Bush centre can give real meaning to the Bush Doctrine of active democracy promotion.
It is important to recognise that Myanmar is far from ideally suited for a smooth transition. Although the outside world focuses on tragic episodes such as brutal repression of the 8-8-88 movement 20 years ago and crushing of the monk-led saffron uprising last September, deep-seated ethnic tensions are if anything more problematic. Long mired in poverty, this country will only ever tread a very difficult road to democracy.